Transcript Thinning for Healthy Trees - The New York Forest Owners Association

Protecting and
Enhancing Your Woodlot
Advice for Landowners
Introductions
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Cornell Cooperative Extension
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Department of Environmental Conservation
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Laurie VanNostrand
Mark Gooding
New York Forest Owners Association
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Mike Seager
Dale Schaefer
Jim Minor
March 12, 2011
New York Forest Owners Association
Why are we here?
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Laurie and Jim were getting phone calls:
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Timber theft
Poor logging practices
Invasive species questions
Let’s prevent problems, not fix them
March 12, 2011
New York Forest Owners Association
Agenda
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Threats to woodlots
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Human practices
Invasive species
Break
Developing a management plan
Crop Tree Management
Getting help
Further topics
What to do when you go home
Q&A
March 12, 2011
New York Forest Owners Association
Themes
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Understand what is going on in your woodlot
Make a plan
Know when and where to get help
Keep it fun
March 12, 2011
New York Forest Owners Association
Threats Facing Woodlots
in Western NY
History; Human Threats;
Invasive Species – Insects and
Plants; Deer Issues
Brief History of NY
Forests
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Originally almost 100% forested
1880 – 25% forested – why?
1993 – 62% forested – why?
Land area by use (1993)
Who owns forest land?(1993)
Other highlights for NY forests
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About half the forestland is sawtimber class
Dominant species are sugar maple, red maple,
hemlock, white pine, ash, beech, red oak, black
cherry and aspen
Timber growth to removal is about 3 to 1
Threats to NYS Forests
Parcelization
1. Smaller units make management difficult
2. Aging of owners
3. Average ownership of 7 years
 Taxation
 Invasive insects, diseases and plants
 Highgrading
 Timber Theft
 Deer
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Human Threats to NY Forests
High Grading
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High Grading – taking the biggest and best
trees and leaving the rest (logger’s choice?)
Leaves poor genetic stock
Lowers the overall health of a stand and its
ability to withstand stresses – insects, diseases,
weather etc.
Reduces the value of a woodlot over time
Huge loss of potential income
This is the biggest threat to the long term
viability to forests in western NY (my opinion)
Human Threats to NY Forests
Timber Theft
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Illegal taking of trees on another owners
property
More common than you think
New timber trespass law in 2004
Still difficult to prosecute – DA and grand jury
issues
Deterrents – be an ‘active’ landowner; post
your property; walk your property; be aware of
adjacent harvests
Invasive Insect Issues
Emerald Ash Borer
Sirex noctilio – European wood wasp
Asian Longhorned Beetle
Forest Tent Caterpillar (not invasive
and native to NY)
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Emerald Ash Borer
Biology, Detection, Management?
Questions
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What is Emerald Ash Borer?
What does it do?
Where is it found?
How can I recognize EAB and it’s damage?
What is being done about it?
What can I do to help?
What happens if we find EAB here?
What is EAB?
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Agrilus Planipennis
A wood-boring
buprestid beetle native to
parts of Asia
Since 2003, major
invasive tree pest in
North America, killing
millions of ash trees
Readily attacks all
species of Fraxinus - ash
January 2003
January 2004
January 2005
January 2006
December 2006
February 2008
July 2008
August 2008
April 2009
October 2009
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010